While Cadeyrn went running along with Captain Devlin and half a dozen men to fetch Ashlynnâs armor and the hall rearranged itself, Ashlynn took advantage of the moment to return to Jocelynnâs side.
"You look worried," Ashlynn said lightly as she approached Jocelynn. "You can trust your big sister," she said with a genuine smile. "This will all be over soon."
"I know," Jocelynn said, though she didnât sound confident at all when she spoke. "Sir Ollie said youâve been training for this with, um, Lord General Thane and Dame Sybyll, but, Ash, Iâve seen Owain fight and..."
"Itâs all right," Ashlynn said, stepping forward to take Jocelynn in her arms. For a moment, there was a tight, painful twinge at the center of Ashlynnâs chest as she and Jocelynn came close enough to touch, but she resolutely ignored the feeling in order to offer her sister what comfort she could.
"Iâve fought worse than Owain, I promise you," Ashlynn said with a light smile as she pulled back from Jocelynn. "Iâll tell you some time about Ansgar, Lord of the Seven Peaks, and how he shattered my last sword. If Ignatious hadnât loaned me his Holy Flame Blade, I would have been doomed that night."
"Lord of the Seven Peaks?" Jocelynn said, blinking at yet another unfamiliar title. Just where had her sister been, and who were all these people who seemed to be so important? Sheâd shattered a sword fighting another lord?
"No, itâs not important," Jocelynn said, shaking off the questions she had in order to focus on what mattered. "Ash, I donât know anything about sword fighting, but I, I used to spend hours, um, watching Owain practicing," she offered. "If it helps, I can tell you what I saw. You might understand more than I did about it since, um, since youâve learned so much," she finished awkwardly.
"Every little bit helps," Ashynn said as she gestured for Ollie to bring over a few chairs. "First, hold onto something for me," she said as she reached up and plucked the cavalier hat off her head, turning it around before placing it atop Jocelynnâs head with the same rougish tilt sheâd worn it at herself.
"This was a gift from someone precious to me, so keep it safe," Ashlynn said as she slipped out of her long, sailorâs coat before wrapping it around her sisterâs shoulders like a cloak. "If you want a hat of your own," she said, her voice catching slightly as she felt something briefly constricting around her heart.
"If you want a hat of your own," Ashlynn repeated after a deep breath. "Then that will have to come later."
Behind Jocelynn, Ollie gave Ashlynn a brief, worried look, but he said nothing when Ashlynn gave him a subtle shake of her head. Now wasnât the time, and they both knew it. Some things, no matter how important they were, would have to wait until after Owain fell to Ashlynnâs sword.
"Morwen," Ashlynn called, turning to the young lady sheâd asked to serve as her handmaiden tonight in Hielaâs place. "Have you ever braided hair for a helm before? Iâll need it flat against my head and tight enough that nothing gets in my face," she said.
"My father wears his hair long," Morwen said confidently as she stepped forward. "Mother taught me how its done."
"Good," Ashlynn said with a smile as she tried to pretend that it was just like a girlâs night with her sister, braiding hair and talking about boys. "So, tell me, Jocey," Ashlynn invited. "What did you learn about how Owain fights?"
"Well, the first thing is that he mostly trains to fight multiple people at once," Jocelynn started. "And he fights very differently against multiple people than he does in one-on-one matches against armored knights. Against multiple people, he moves around a lot, and he keeps them jumbled up where they get in each otherâs way, but against just one person..."
For Ashlynn, there wasnât anything new to learn from the handful of details that Jocelynn had been able to observe, but that didnât matter. What mattered was that her sister was trying to help her kill the man who had done so much damage to them both... And whether her information was helpful or not, Ashlynn intended to listen to every word.
Standing behind Ashlynn, Morwen listened just as attentively to everything Lady Jocelynn had to say. Even though she wasnât going to be the one who had to face Lord Owain in a duel to the death, her heart hammered in her chest in a way that it never had when she braided her fatherâs hair, but her fingers were smooth and steady as they did their work.
Unlike most of the people in the Great Hall, Morewen knew that Lady Ashlynn was a witch, and sheâd seen Sir Ollieâs power firsthand on more than one occasion. But every time Sir Ollie had acted, his witchcraft had been visible to everyone, which meant that Lady Ashlynnâs would be visible if she had to use hers as well.
Only, Lady Ashlynn couldnât afford to reveal her witchcraft tonight, not when everyone had decided she was a Saintess. But the more Morwen listened to the way Lady Jocelynn described Owainâs ruthless, punishing fighting style, the more her heart trembled at the notion of Lady Ashlynn having to face off against such a monster, and the more hopeless it seemed.
Lady Ashlynn, however, didnât seem phased at all. She listened patiently and asked the occasional question, but she gave no sign that she was worried at all.
On the opposite side of the Great Hall, Owain waited impatiently for the servants heâd sent for his armor to return with it. He could hear the whispers filling the hall, along with the conversations no one bothered to hide.
Some were airing their petty grievances against him while calling him a murderer and a tyrant, as if the minor inconveniences theyâd âsufferedâ at his hands were proof that he was an evil monster, unfit to rule.
Others, like Lady Tosha, had dropped to their knees, openly praying for their âSaintessâ to save them from the usurper who stole the throne meant for his pious brother.
But soon, he thought, as the doors opened to reveal both the servants carrying his armor and the men Ashlynn had sent for hers. Soon, every one of these fools would learn who the true favored son was.
And once heâd finally killed Ashlynn once and for all, heâd ensure that her grave was more than deep enough for all the bodies heâd pile on top of hers...